Hospitals see influx of patients amid record heat in West

Hospitals in the western United States are treating an increased amount of patients for heat-related injuries as record-high temperatures scorch the region.

In southern California, temperatures recently climbed into the 120s, sending an influx of patients to Indio, Calif.-based John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital, according to KESQ News Channel 3.

JFK Memorial Medical Director Andrew Kassinove, MD, said a majority of patients were treated for heat exhaustion. The hospital typically sees one to two patients a day for heat-related injuries, but is now treating between five to ten daily, according to the report.

"We're getting quite a bit of patients coming in, even with vague complaints like dizziness or not feeling well," he told KESQ News Channel 3.

Children's Hospital of Nevada at University Medical Center in Las Vegas reported an increase in surface heat burn injuries, caused by touching an object or surface that's been exposed to the sun, reports KSN News 3.

Jay Fisher, MD, a physician at the hospital's emergency department, said he's already treated five patients this week with serious surface burns, according to the report.